The French frigate the Languedoc arrived off the coast of Cyprus, the French military announced on Thursday.

It stressed in its announcement that the frigate’s arrival constitutes “French commitment in coordination with our European allies in support of Cyprus, which has seen its territory targeted”, and a part of larger “European solidarity and contribution to regional stability”.

French President Emmanuel Macron had announced the imminent arrival of the Languedoc on Tuesday night, and had also announced that the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, alongside its “air assets” and frigate escort, would also be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean.

The French frigate will soon be joined in Cypriot waters by the Spanish frigate the Cristobal Colon, named after Christopher Columbus, which, after being ordered by the Spanish government to head to Cyprus, is expected to arrive in off the coast of Crete next Tuesday, before progressing onwards to Cyprus.

The Cristobal Colon is armed with what Spanish newspaper As described as a “high-precision anti-missile defence system”, including SM-2 missiles, which can intercept targets as far as 150 kilometres away.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday afternoon offered his thanks to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for the sending of the frigate and “support Cyprus in a concrete way”.

“This gesture reflects the close relations between our countries and the shared solidarity which exists between the European Union’s member states,” he wrote in a post on social media.

Meanwhile, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced that his country will also send a frigate in the direction of Cyprus, and that as well as his own country, France, and Spain, the Netherlands will send a frigate of their own.

Christodoulides subsequently thanked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, too, writing in a post on social media that “this gesture underscores our longstanding bilateral relations, grounded in shared values and our joint commitment to a safer Europe and stability and security in the Mediterranean”.

“It is a tangible demonstration of the ongoing strengthening of the Italo-Cypriot partnership,” he added.

News website Euronews reported that the Netherlands will send the frigate the HNLMS Evertsen to the island.